


A Mother's Love

by dietcokeenthusiast



Series: Caminoka Chronicles [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Married Couple, Original Characters - Freeform, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Abuse, Vomiting, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: Ten years after their wedding, Camilla and Hinoka are proud mothers of three children, the eldest of whom has grown surly towards Camilla. When something goes wrong at a festival, though, Camilla and Hinoka teach her a bit more about their family history.





	

“Hey.”

Camilla opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the sleep. There was Hinoka, head propped up on her elbow, gazing down on her. Her hair was messy, and the simple shirt she wore to bed was hanging off her shoulder. Though she had grown accustomed to the softness that crept into those lovely brown eyes of Hinoka when they shared their mornings together, she still absolutely adored it. The sensation of Hinoka’s fingers combing through her lilac tresses almost made her want to go back to sleep then and there.

“Good morning, my princess. You’re looking as cute as always,” Camilla replied sleepily.

“Look who’s talking,” Hinoka grinned, pressing a gentle kiss to Camilla’s lips.

Giggling softly, Camilla moved closer, tangling up her legs with Hinoka’s and draping an arm over her waist. Though few would describe Hinoka as cuddly, for Camilla she was just perfect for cuddling up against; a delightful compliment to her softness. She nipped playfully at Hinoka’s chin. “How much longer do you think we have?”

“Should be any minute now,” sighed Hinoka. “I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”

“I suppose that we’ll just have to make the most of what we have left,” said Camilla, nuzzling into Hinoka’s neck. “You can’t tell me you don’t enjoy those interruptions, though.”

“I do, but I also enjoy this,” said Hinoka, kissing Camilla’s forehead and hugging her tighter.

“As do I,” said Camilla. “I wonder if we might have time t-“

Camilla was cut off by the sound of a sliding door. “Mom! Mommy!” Before she could even fully turn her head her youngest, Millie, had flown across the room and landed on top of her, clinging tightly to her.

“Why good morning, sweet one!” Camilla cooed, pressing a kiss to Millie’s cheek. “As energetic as always, I see.”

“Yup!” Millie chirped, hugging Camilla tight.

“That’s my girl, not slowed down by anything!” Hinoka beamed, tousling Millie’s long, golden curls. “Say, are your brother and sister up y- OOF!”

“Right here, mom!”

Camilla couldn’t help but giggle as their son, Francis, landed right on top of Hinoka. Though still young, he was definitely a bigger boy, and his own long blond hair gave him a striking resemblance to Millie, even though they had all been adopted.

After Hinoka had finished giving Francis a hug and a kiss on the forehead, Camilla leaned in to give him a hug as well, pulling both him and Millie tight together in her arms. “Oh my, such a wonderful morning with my little darlings! I believe we’re just missing one more. Has your big sister been sleeping in?”

A derisive snort came from the doorway. “I’m here, mother.”

Glancing at the doorway, Camilla found their eldest, Akane, leaning on the wall. With her dark hair done up in braids, Camilla was clearly able to see her rolling her eyes at the whole display. “Come now dear, you used to get just as excited to come see me as these two. There’s always space for you here too, if you wanted.”

Akane wrinkled her nose. “Um, yeah, I’m not a baby anymore, thanks.”

Camilla sighed. Akane had been the first child they adopted, and both she and Hinoka had been overjoyed to have her. She had always been such a sweet child, and never shy with affection, but over time had grown moody and surly.

“Hey, Akane,” Hinoka called. “How’d your naginata practice go?”

“Good, mom!” Akane replied, now grinning. “I can almost cut one of those practice dummies in half.”

“That’s great! You’ll have to show me sometime,” Hinoka said with a grin.

 _Well, moody and surly to me, anyways_.

“For sure,” said Akane, who blinked as though she were somewhat disoriented.

Camilla felt a tug at her nightgown. “Mommy, you and mom have to get up soon,” said Millie. “We hafta go to the cherry blossom festival today!”

“That’s not for a few hours yet, little one,” Camilla smiled, touching her on the nose. “That means I have time to make you all breakfast!”

“Yayyy! You make the best breakfast, Mommy!” Millie cheered, bouncing up and down on the bed.

“Mommy, if it’s okay, could you please make pancakes?” Asked Francis. “I really enjoy your pancakes.”

“I could go for some pancakes too,” added Hinoka, rolling over to give Camilla a kiss on the cheek. “How about you, Akane?”

“Oh, um, pancakes are good sure. I might just have one, though,” she replied with a forced smile.

“Is everything okay, dear?” Camilla asked. “You’re not unwell, are you?”

“Oh, no mother! It’s fine. Just not _really_ hungry.”

Camilla nodded, not fully believing her. “Well in any case, who wants to help mommy?”

A chorus of little voices all shouted their approval.

\--

“Who wants mochi?!”

Camilla smiled at the sight of Hinoka beaming at their children, all shouting “Me!” and bouncing on the balls of their feet in excitement. Hinoka picked up Millie with one arm, Francis with another, and let Akane climb on her back as she headed over to the mochi stand. Following closely Camilla took in the sight of the cherry blossom petals which floated down and blanketed the streets. While Nohr had many festivals of its own, there was never anything quite like this.

It hadn’t even been a minute after Hinoka bought them the mocha that they had devoured them. Francis had eaten his in a single bite, after which he profusely apologized for his lack of manners. Millie had nibbled and nibbled until nothing was left. Even Akane had tucked into hers with gusto, though she stopped halfway for whatever reason.

“Oh, Francis, you have a little bit on your cheek, dear,” said Camilla, dabbing at his cheek with the sleeve of her kimono.’

“Oh, thank you, mommy! Francis replied.

“Oh, and you too Akane!” Camilla continued, turning her attention to her eldest. “Just hold still an-“

“I got it! I got it!” Akane nearly shouted, pulling back sharply and wiping at her mouth with her hand. “You can just tell me where it is, mother.”

“But dear, it’s not nearly as fun as when I do that!” Camilla teased. Akane’s expression made it obvious she was not impressed.

 

Hinoka cleared her throat. “So hey, I heard there’s going to be a dance performance out in the park. Do you guys want to see it?”

 

“I do!” Millie chirped.

 

“Most certainly!” Added Francis.

 

“Do I have to?” Akane groaned.

 

“Well dear, it’s only fair that since the rest of the family wants to go, that we go to see the performance. We’ll let you pick the next thing we do at the festival, okay darling?” Camilla asked, placing a hand on Akane’s shoulder.

 

“Fine,” said Akane, jerking herself away. Camilla sighed. She wasn’t sure exactly what she did to make Akane so moody towards her, but it was bothering her a great deal. She ultimately decided that the best policy was just to be persistent. Joining hands with Millie, who had joined up with Hinoka and Francis in a chain together, they headed off towards the park, taking in the sights of the cherry blossoms and the festival goers.

 

Camilla offered her other hand to Akane, but was turned down. She lagged behind the rest of them, moving more slowly than she usually did.

 

Arriving at the park, Millie charged ahead trying to find a spot in front of the makeshift stage to see the performance. “W-wait for me!” Francis called from behind, trying to catch up. Camilla grinned at the sight of them. As if Hinoka weren’t enough, she had somehow been fortunate enough to have a family.

 

“Hey, Akane?” asked Hinoka. “Are you going to join your brother and sister? I think they could use a bit of help.”

 

“I will, mom,” said Akane. As Camilla looked at her, she couldn’t help but notice her smiled seemed a bit week. The color of her face also seemed a bit off. “Just taking a break.”

 

“Is everything okay, dear?” Camilla asked, the worry clear in her voice. “You look like something’s troubling you.”

 

Akane shook her head. “It’s fine, mother.”

 

Camilla frowned. The fact her daughter didn’t even have the energy to be snarky made her very concerned something was wrong. “Very well. Just please let us know if something’s troubling you.”

 

Akane nodded. After a few moments, she made her way out to look for Francis and Millie.

 

Camilla slipped an arm around Hinoka’s waist. “Having a good day, my sweet Hinoka?”

 

Hinoka grinned, and leaned into Camilla, tilting her head up to give her a kiss. “Of course I am. The kids are off having fun, there’s an absolutely beautiful view, and the cherry blossoms aren’t bad either!” Camilla burst out laughing, which made Hinoka start to blush. “Was it r-really that bad?”

 

“Oh darling,” Camilla managed through the laughter, caressing Hinoka’s cheek. “You’re just too precious.”

 

Still blushing, Hinoka tilted her head up again for another kiss. “That’s… well, maybe let’s not let the whole kingdom know.”

 

“My beautiful girl, of course the entire kingdom knows. How could they not after looking at you?”

 

“MOMMY! MOMMY!” The moment was shattered by the scream of Millie, as she came rushing back towards them.

 

“Millie? What’s wrong?” Asked Hinoka.

 

“Big sister Akane’s sick! Real sick!” Millie cried, tears starting to form in her eyes. “I’m so scared! Is she going to be okay?”

 

There was a horrible feeling in Camilla’s stomach at the news, but she fought to keep herself calm. “Millie, sweetie, show Mommy where Akane is.”

 

“This way!” Millie ran off through the crowd, with Camilla and Hinoka close behind her. Camilla cursed herself. She should have pushed Akane to be more honest. It was so obvious that there was something wrong.

 

When they got to her, Akane was doubled up on the ground, groaning loudly. The grass was covered in vomit. An onlooker was comforting Francis, who looked like he was going to faint at any moment. Not wasting any time, Camilla picked Akane up in her arms, her vomit staining her kimono. “We’ll be home soon, darling, I promise,” she cooed, kissing her on the forehead. With Hinoka taking Francis and Millie by the hand, they hurried back to the castle through the crowd as quickly as they could.

\--

No matter how she tried, Camilla could not fall asleep. Even though Hinoka had promised her that she would stay up to look after Akane, she still couldn’t bear the thought of not being there for her. Especially with how sick she was. Sakura had been a huge help, giving her a herbal remedy and instructing her to get bed rest, but cautioned that stomach troubles like this often needed to run their  course. Camilla figured she must have spent at least two hours on the sofa with not a single bit of rest to show for it.

Straightening the straps on her nightgown, Camilla slowly got up off the sofa, becoming painfully aware of just how stiff her neck was. Still, Akane needed their bed a lot more than she or Hinoka did right now. She made her way to the courtyard with a pitcher, moving quietly so not to wake the other children. Maybe a bit of water would be just what she needed right now, and she wanted to make sure her girl had as much as she needed.

After filling the pitcher, she made her way back inside with equal caution, carefully looking for a cup for herself.

That’s when she heard the voice from the room.

“I’m kind of glad it’s you staying up, mom… no offence.”

It was tired and worn from exhaustion and sickness, but she still heard it. Camilla frowned. Was this really how her daughter talked about her when she wasn’t around? She considered going back to bed, pretending she heard nothing, but instead decided to stand just outside the doorway to her bedroom.

“Don’t say that. I _wish_ I was as good as your mother at looking after you guys.”

“It’s not just that, okay?”

“Then what is it, Akane?”

“It’s just… she’s just not cool, all right? I mean I love mother and everything, but she always gushes over me like I’m still a baby. It’s embarrassing.”

Camilla winced as though she had just been slapped in the face. All she ever wanted to do was make her children feel loved, and now it felt like it was being thrown in her face.

“That’s just her way, Akane,” said Hinoka. “We all show our love in different ways.”

“But can’t she show it another way, I mean… oh gods-“ there was the sound of more heaving, and liquid filling a bucket.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Hinoka reassured gently, speaking softly until the sounds finally subsided. Camilla wanted to rush in to help, to make sure her girl was okay, but didn’t want to reveal she had accidentally been eavesdropping either.

“Want me to get you some more water?”

“…I think I need a break, mom,” Akane croaked.

“All right. Well, I’ll be here with you.” For a moment things were silent, and then Hinoka spoke again. “Have I ever told you about your grandmother?”

“Um, yeah. A lot.”

“I don’t mean Grandma Ikona. I mean on your mother’s side.”

_Oh Hinoka, please. She doesn’t need to know about her._

“Oh… no, then.”

“Well, you know how I told you how your Grandma was always so nice, and loving? Camilla’s mother wasn’t. She was a truly awful person.”

_Stop, just please, stop._

“What did she do?”

“She’d put your mother in danger, make her do terrible things, and sometimes even make her hurt people. All so that she’d be the most powerful of her father, Garon’s wives,” Hinoka went on, her voice getting colder and colder.

Camilla sighed uneasily. _Please, Hinoka_.

“That’s… that’s awful. What kind of things did she make mother do?”

“Well, she-“

“Good evening,” Camilla said, forcing a smile as she entered the room. She had to cut things off while she had the chance. “I was up to fetch myself a drink of water, and thought I’d check to see how the two of you were doing.”

“O-oh!” Hinoka stammered. “How long were you there for?”

“Oh, hardly any time at all,” Camilla replied. “I just woke up!”

The look Hinoka gave Camilla just screamed that she didn’t believe her, but she remained silent. Camilla was immediately grateful, as she turned her attention to Akane. “Now dear, how is your stomach doing?”

The expression on Akane’s face was one of genuine concern. “Mother… is it true? About your mom?”

Camillla blinked. “You know I heard you, didn’t you?”

Hinoka nodded, and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry, Camilla. I just wanted to help Akane understand you a little bit better. I shouldn’t have said anything about-“

“It’s okay,” Camilla murmured, kissing Hinoka’s hand. “I know you had the best intentions, love. It’s just...”

“Just what?” Akane asked, cutting in. “Mother, I want to know about… about… oh man. Bucket, now!”

Hinoka grabbed the bucket, and held it for Akane, while Camilla stroked her back. “We’re not going anywhere, darling,” she whispered. “I wish I could make it all better now, my sweet girl, but we’ll be here until it does get better.” It was mostly dry heaving at this point, but Camilla was still very worried. “Hinoka, could y-“

“I was just going to fix some ginger tea,” said Hinoka.

“I-it’s okay,” Akane forced out. “I d-don’t think I can keep anything down.”

“I know, dear, but you have to try,” Camilla said, pushing Akane’s hair off of her forehead. “Dehydration is a serious concern when you’re sick like this.”

Akane sighed. “Okay.”

“I’ll just be a few minutes, okay?” said Hinoka, getting up from beside the bed. “Your mother’s here if you need anything.”

“I am,” Camilla added, turning her attention to Akane as Hinoka left the room. A moment of awkward silence passed between them.

“So… what mom said about grandmother?”

Camilla frowned. “It’s true, I’m afraid. When I was a little girl, my mother would treat me more like a pawn than her own child. My father had many wives, and my mother, just like the others, did anything she could to be the ‘favorite’, thinking that would make her more powerful. I was just a tool for her.”

Even so exhausted from being awake and sick all night, the shock on Akane’s face was clear. “That’s horrible. What did she make you do?”

“Many things,” Camilla sighed. “It began simple enough; spying for her at court, letting her know anything that might have given her and advantage, what was happening with father’s other wives, that sort of thing. Spying became sabotage, and I would be told to hurt father’s other wives and their children. I…” Camilla paused for a moment. “I never could bring myself to hurt my siblings, and she would beat me badly when I refused. I would hurt the other women at court, though. I remember the first time my mother forced me to kill for her.”

“Oh my gods!” Exclaimed Akane, horrified. “D-did you do it?”

Camilla averted her eyes. “I did. I did worse, too. One time my mother had me help kidnap a woman father had taken interest in. When we captured her, she made me hurt her very badly.”

Another silence fell between the two. _Your daughter must think you a complete monster, now. You can’t have seriously thought that you could ever escape that truth, could you?_

“Why did you do it?”

The question somehow managed to sting worse than the comment Camilla had overheard, earlier. Still, she forced herself to answer. “Part of it was that my mother hurt me, sometimes quite badly if I didn’t listen. Sometimes she would… hand me over to someone else. If I listened, though,” Camilla chuckled nervously. “If I listened, then she would treat me with affection. She would tell me what a good girl I was, and how much she loved me. It was the only time she ever treated me that way. I believed her, too. I wanted to believe her.” Finally making eye contact with Akane again, Camilla rested her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry to have embarrassed you, Akane. I only wanted to ensure that you never had to feel like you had to do anything for me to love you. I wanted you to always know that you would always have all the love and affection in the world, and would never have to force yourself to do such things to earn it.”

Akane sniffled. “Mother… That’s so awful, and I-i was so awful to you and-“

“You were never awful, darling,” Camilla reassured her. “You didn’t know what happened to me, and I didn’t want you to have to know about it. Even then, I suppose it’s only natural that getting older, you’d want to be more independent, and that’s okay. I suppose I wanted to hold on a bit longer. I can only imagine what you must think of me now.”

For a moment Akane said nothing, but then she forced herself to sit up, and hugged Camilla as tightly. “Mommy, I’m so sorry!” she sobbed into her mother’s shoulder.

“There, there,” Camilla murmured, stroking Akane’s hair. “You did nothing wrong. There’s nothing to apologize for.” For a while, Akane just sobbed in her arms, continuing even when Hinoka had come back and had sat down with both of them. Camilla exchanged a knowing look with her, no words needing to be said.

When Akane had finally calmed down, Hinoka offered her the tea. She managed to get through about half a cup before lying down again, her shivering subsiding slightly. “Mom, mommy?”

“Yeah?” Asked Hinoka.

“I love you.”

Camilla smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “We love you too, dear. Do try to get some rest now.”

A few moments later, worn out by the sickness and the crying, Akane finally drifted off to sleep. Smiling, Hinoka slowly shifted her onto her side, and put an arm around Camilla. “Finally. Can I ask what you told her?”

“Everything,” Camilla replied, leaning her head against Hinoka.

Hinoka’s expression grew worried. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, dear. It’s never my favorite conversation to have, but it’s so far away now. I’m safe, here.”

“Always,” said Hinoka, kissing Camilla’s cheek. Minutes later, the two of them drifted off to sleep on the floor beside their daughter.

 


End file.
